EUGENE, Ore. — Amateur puppeteer Tim Braswell, founder of Peter, Paul and Jelly Puppet Troupe, has raised $1.2 million for a make-or-break Super Bowl ad he hopes will catapult his tiny ministry into the big-time.

“That sock-dog a few years back inspired me,” Braswell says. “I thought, if a puppet can sell pet food, then a team of puppets like mine can certainly sell Jesus.”

Braswell and three other members of the volunteer ministry team sold their homes and pooled the profits to secure a small business loan that covers the costs of the commercial. Their 30-second ad will air during the fourth quarter of the game. The ad features three puppets performing a toned-down Punch-and-Judy-style shtick, then quoting John 3:16 in unison. Millions of people could be saved through the ad’s message of love, says Braswell.

But the commercial’s production value was crude enough (it was recorded on a digital home video camera) that CBS nearly dropped it entirely, until Braswell paid an additional $45,000 to improve the audio. (” That was my daughter’s education fund,” he says.)

The members of Peter, Paul and Jelly say this could be the single biggest ministry event of the year, and they encourage people to see it as an evangelism opportunity. They want Christians to hush up friends when the ad runs. They also hope to see a major increase in invitations from vacation Bible schools and family camps.

“This will blow open the doors for our success,” says Braswell. “I guarantee we’ll be booked 53 weeks a year because of this. I may have to set up regional teams and hire an accounting firm to manage all the offering money.”

When told that Pets.com, which aired the commercial featuring the sock-dog, went bankrupt, Braswell falls silent, then clears his throat.